In electric vehicle charging systems, a charging station enclosure has a requirement for supporting a charging station cable and protecting internal electrical and electronic components of the electric vehicle charging station.
As effective electric vehicles are becoming more feasible and more desirable, there will be an increased interest in home-based and commercial charging stations. To minimize charging times, it is desirable to use a high voltage (e.g., 240 volt) charging system. When using such systems there are both safety considerations and safety laws that need to be addressed to minimize the risk to homeowners and their property. Technologies addressing these considerations may also be useful to improve vehicle charging stations in industrial and commercial settings.
The charging station in a home, commercial, or industrial environment will be exposed to extreme environmental factors of temperature, moisture, and sunlight. To protect the electrical and electronic circuitry of the charging station must be able to withstand the extreme environmental factors.
Further, the charging station cable will be attached directly to the charging station enclosure. The charging station cable may be yanked to cause extreme stress on the charging station enclosure if, for instance, the driver leaves the charging station cable attached and drives away. Such a scenario will cause excess torquing of the charging station at its connection points to a solid structure and potentially could cause damage to the charging station enclosure.
Additionally, the charging station cable requires a provision for storing the charging station cable. When not in use the charging station cable must be placed attached to or near the charging station enclosure. Such a storage facility must be convenient for the user to take from the storage and to replace in its storage position.
Therefore what is needed is a charging station configured to cope with structurally damaging forces and extreme environments, while minimizing the likelihood of exposing live electrical parts to people or flammable property. Further, what is needed is a charging station with a provision for storage of a charging station cable.